Why we resist becoming Patriarchs

So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:9 ...that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:14 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. Galatians 4:28	But most of us have had a childhood which has dulled this thirst for dominion and blessing. We have been trained to be mediocre, to accept slavery. We have been led to believe that we are completely inadequate for the task of exercising dominion. And in a sense, we do have some profound inadequacies. The growing army of Evangelicals on the watch against "New Age Humanism" are unloading round after round of ammo on those who speak about a person's "self-image." Robert Schuler was a well-known target. I'm not going to defend Robert Schuler (Give me a break.) But I'm not going to defend the anti-self-respect crowd either. These Christians are unwittingly on the side of Fascism and for all their "theological orthodoxy" are undercutting efforts to encourage Godly dominion and the Edenification of the Earth. I think I largely agree with Mr. Dyna/Psyc on this issue. Tell me what you think:
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. {29} And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:28-29 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. Romans 4:13 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:8 ...having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:23	Now when I speak of inadequacies, I am not concerned with my size, weight, physical appearance, strength, manliness or femininity. The concern here is with the most important inadequacy from which any person can suffer: an Inadequate Self Image. For brevity I will refer to it as an ISI. This ISI is one of the first things formed in our lives. It has a more lasting effect on our failure or success. It pays a more prominent role than any other single factor. This is true because it is the giant controller of our personal destiny. If that seems hard to believe, let me ask you this: could I succeed if I had to face the daily tasks of my present world (job, friends, love-life, etc.) knowing and living only what I knew and believed when I was five or six years old? Think of the mess I could make of even the simplest tasks assigned to you, functioning as a grown person with the knowledge and beliefs of a tiny tot! Think of the impossibility of a mature relationship with others if my capacity to "get along" was that of a kindergartner! Well, my ISI in all those areas that are important to me as an adult was largely set in concrete by the time I was six years old! Challenging though that statement may seem to some, there is overwhelming scientific evidence to support it. Once we have ascertained the point of woeful inadequacy at which ISI was established, surely you must wonder if it doesn't change as I get older. The answer (and we'll see why later) is "no," hardly ever, unless I deliberately set about to change it! Your next question might be, what does this ISI control or affect? The answer: To a greater or lesser extent, every single activity of the human being! And it does this by placing a clamped-down nailed-down, ceiling on success! It prevents the adult from ever reaching a potential beyond the concept of the child. The direct result of this ISI is that the average man uses about 10% of his potential! And, it's no wonder. At the age of five or six few of us were convinced of our own great strength, power, abilities. We didn't feel very effective. That feeling of ineffectuality was the result of the many pressure that were applied to using those first few years. These pressure were the "do's" and "don't's" of our early years as expressed in the habits we established. Scientifically, these things are referred to as "conditioning." Those pressures can be divided into two categories: Those which help us in later years and those which hinder our progress. The helps of those years was the conditioning we acquired which today lets us perform many of our daily tasks almost without thinking. In this group are included such diverse things as : tying your shoes; using a knife, fork, and spoon; walking; talking; etc. But what of the conditioning which hinders our effectiveness? Consider this example: As a very little boy, Billy goes out to the garage where his father is working in his woodshop. Fascinated, he watches as daddy is "making something." Soon, watching is not enough. He wants to "help." At this point two things may occur. One will result in a conditioning which will help, the other will hinder the self-image structure and the later life development as well. If daddy gives him some safe by satisfying task of the utmost simplicity to perform, lets him do it, guides him to some small success, and then praises his efforts, the lad's self-image has received a tremendous boost. If this pattern of events is repeated again and again, confidence is built through the habit of success in this area of activity. It will help him build a better self-image. If, on the other hand, daddy's time and/or patience is short, if the lad's interest and desire to participate results in only an irritating interference with the work at hand, no such helpful image-building results. The repeated efforts to participate (for little ones are not easily discouraged) may result in a final rejection by the father as he is banished from this fascinating scene -- or punishment for what the father sees as deliberate disobedience. Either way, the child has been taught a lesson. He has been "taught" or conditioned into a belief that he is "no good" at a certain kind of manly activity, or that he is "no good" merely because he has wanted to participate -- "bad" because he was ambitious. His self-image has taken a blow, his fear-factor (of which we will talk later) has received a great boost! To the same degree that this was an occurrence charged with heavy emotionality (loud voice, a physical punishment, lasted a long time), it will have a proportionately large and lasting effect on the self-image. Few of us have been so fortunate as to have had only helpful ego-forming, or self-image, experiences in our early years. That is why today, it is a scientific evaluation that the average person is working at only 10% of his potential!
	I like it, don't you? Now I can imagine someone -- some ivory-tower "theonomic expert" -- coming up with all kinds of "orthodox" sounding criticisms of this. He would probably remind me of the fellow I once saw in a Reformed church who, when his son was committing some heinous crime during the "worship service" (I think he was doodling on his bulletin) violently picked him up like a dog or a sack of potatoes (kinda slung over his side, head down, feet up) and took him outside. I leave the rest to your imagination. This theologian would completely miss the point about the son and the father at the woodshop. I find the point very persuasive. For many years I was fearful of becoming a patriarch. Some were telling me that I was "no good," reinforcing all the harmful conditioning I received as a child. Others were telling me I was a "victim," encouraging me to find fault with others, blaming them for my lack of success, but never told me the "Good News" that I can become a new person -- a child of God, and a son of Abraham. I suspect that even you and I are fearful of becoming patriarchs. Sure, we don't buy into the propaganda of the State or the Seminary. But what Mr. Dyna/Psyc has identified as "conditioning" has probably already taken place. I'll let him explain the effects of fear-conditioning:
	Although few people ever realize it, fear plays an overwhelmingly important role in the early-child conditioning. And, since we have that early conditioning to thank for our later ISI, it is important that we understand two unique qualities of fear as a conditioning factor. Fear is always a "hindering" force. Fear is always a "buried" force. Let me illustrate those two qualities by two specific examples of fear-conditioning. Praise for a job well done, as in the case of the wise father with the child who wants to participate in the workshop project, is a "helping" force. It is positive in nature. It is a happily remembered experience. Praise is something to be sought after; we want to repeat the pleasure of the feeling of being praised so we try again and again to do something that earns more praise. But what of the other side of the coin -- the rejection or punishment unwisely meted out? It is designed to be and operates as a "hindering force." It is negative in nature. It creates fear. It creates fear of the painful experience being repeated. And, since it is unpleasant to remember, it is shut out of the conscious mind as soon as possible. Notice I said the "conscious" mind, for, with the strong impact of fear, it is not lost entirely. It plays its conditioning role long after the conscious remembrance is gone. it is suppressed and slips down into the subconscious mind. So, we have fear, which hinders us in years to come, but which is hidden from our conscious thoughts. To observe this in action, let us assume that some years after the child had been rewarded or reprimanded (perhaps on several occasions) in the manner outlined, a new situation arises. Father calls son and announces the time has come to "learn how to handle tools." Father anticipates great joy on the part of son at this announcement. he is looking forward to the fun he and son will have working together in the woodshop. But such will not be the case Son does not remember the things that happened so long ago when he was so young, but, he feels very uneasy. Son has been conditioned to fear the woodshop, or anything in connection with it. Is it surprising that the son probably won't be very excited about the idea, will have trouble trying to do what his father has conditioned him not to do, and will be prone to fail when he tries (thus freeing him from having to continue)? Some prime examples of the kind of deliberate remarks that become conditioning for the very young carry in their own terms the fear-factor they will create. "You're stupid." "You never do anything right." "You're always so clumsy." "You'll never learn anything." "You'll never be as (smart, nice, good, etc.) as your (brother, sister, team-mate, etc)" I know you're lying; you always lie; I'll never believe you." When we add to this the number of unintentional conditionings that come about accidentally (through spilling things, breaking objects, saying the wrong thing, various other childhood mistakes) it is not surprising that many, many fears of failure have found a permanent home deep in our subconscious minds. All these fears help shape our view of ourselves. And so fear is largely responsible for our Inadequate Self Image (ISI).
1. Or else they will climb the ladder to domination in church, state, or corporations and factories working for the Military State.	The National Syndrome Our whole nation suffers from this fear of Dominion. No surprise: it is taught and reinforced in every school and every church. Consider politics. I am firmly convinced that the basic character of the State includes a bureaucratic distrust of free markets and free minds. The State does not want us to become Patriarchs because we would then threaten their power. They want us ignorant and depressed, unaware of their murders and focused in on our own weaknesses. Ecclesiastical authority figures also realize that if the people were free, mature, and productive, the need for their "services" would disappear, and since bureaucrats are neither mature nor productive, there would be no place for them after the revolution. So they instinctively (but I wouldn't say consciously [yet]) put people down. Keep them in their place. Convince them that they are "totally depraved" and would become utterly lawless and reprobate without the institutional leaders. Every High School civics class and every Sunday School Catechism class is an exercise in institutional propaganda which reduces confidence and potential in the "laity." This is then perpetuated in the home. Children are commanded, Children, obey your parents, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1d: But also, parents are commanded, Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3:21 But most parents are powerless serfs of the State. They are not Patriarchs. They are not "rich in cattle and gold" (Genesis 24:35; 13:2) and don't even own land - the bank owns their house, and they can be evicted if they don't make their mortgage payment. The money for that payment comes from a meaningless job as a cog in the machinery of the Military-Industrial Complex. Jesus promised that if they would repudiate the enticing tinsel and glitter of the State, and be willing to go to the Cross, He would give them power (exousia, John 1:12) and all of their material needs would be met (Matthew 6:33). But they would rather be their own god (Genesis 3:5) and they end up powerless flunkies of the Welfare-Warfare State. And deep down they hate it. In their attempt to rule their own lives, they end up ruled by others (Deuteronomy 28:20,25,43-44). Tyranny is a judgment of God; a curse. The curse of tyranny which they experience is passed on to the next generation as they lash out in frustration at the weak In order to compensate for their mediocrity and slavery, men beat their wives, and wives seek power over the children. "You're no good" is another way of justifying self by saying "At least I don't do that stupid thing; at least I'm better than you." This leaves children feeling weak, powerless, and discouraged, and they too will become serfs of the State.[1]
(2) The LORD has blessed my master greatly, and he has become great; and He has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. Genesis 24:35 Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him." Isaiah 51:2 Abraham was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Genesis 13:2 [back to text]	The laity and the voters believe what they are taught. They believe that they are mediocre and incompetent, and must forever be so. And in order to remain comfortable, they oppose those who would be patriarchs, and call the State and Temple down on them. "Heretics!" "Extremists!" "Anarchists!" But I resist mediocrity. I am becoming a Patriarch. "And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, 'Fear not....'" (Revelation 1:17)

The National Syndrome